By Tosin Ayinde

There’s a nutrition mantra that goes thus: “When the diet is wrong, medicine is of no use, and when the diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”

The key message here is that making health-wise choices is critical to healthy living. Not only that, it also saves resources (time, medical bills, etc.). Eating the right foods with the right amount of calories to balance the energy we consume and dispense is also very important. In doing this, we should strive to go for natural and nutritious foods that aid the free flow of blood with the system is one of the keys to longevity.

Based on studies of Nigerian foods that enhances the functionality of the heart, below are top our five picks.

Water melon

Rich in amino acid, watermelon, if taken moderately and consistently, can aid the flow of blood through the body, while also lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Research reveals that the heart enjoys the perks of all the lycopene that is contained in watermelon. It’s safe to say that you’re naturally immune from the risk of heart attack if you introduce this naturally sweetened fruit into your diet plan. The presence of Vitamin A in watermelon, which is also taken as a snack, helps to maintain good eye health.

Scent leaf

According to myth, scent leaf is said to be highly medicinal and highly-scented vegetable has multifarious uses. The spicy leaf is a homegrown shrub that is native to Nigeria, including some African countries. It’s mostly used as a spice for cooking delicacies because of its unique aroma which gives every meal a delightful taste.

Recent studies have shown that when consumed moderately and consistently too, scent leaf helps to prevent our eyes from abnormal dryness of the conjunctiva and cornea of the eye, which results in inflammation and ridge formation, typically associated with Vitamin A deficiency. Also, the calcium and magnesium found in scent leaf helps to reduce bad cholesterol while also increasing blood circulation which helps to improve effective functioning of the heart.

Soothing your craving and maintaining a great health is obligatory, and to enable an effective functioning of the heart, add scent leaf to your diet.

Bitter Leaf

Bitter leaf has a lot of health benefits and has been described as a miraculous vegetable because of its many health benefits.  It can be taken as a juice, or eaten as a meal. True to its name, as juice, it’s extremely bitter and its health benefits range from aiding weight loss, reducing cancer risks, lowers high blood pressure, to enhancing fertility.

As a soup, it’s delicious and nutritious and passes as one of the best soups in the southern part of Nigeria. It’s perfect for a healthy heart. The leafy vegetable helps to balance the cholesterol level in the blood.

Ewedu

Native to the Yoruba in Southwest Nigeria, Ewedu has been proven to be a powerhouse of nutrients and antioxidants. In most Yoruba homes, nursing mothers use it as the first soup for babies to serve as a blood builder for infants because it’s easy on the stomach and highly nutritious.

Also rich in iron, studies have shown that ewedu, beyond building blood, helps to fight anaemia. As food, in all Yoruba homes, families settle down for a delicious ewedu which is sometimes spiced with iru (locust bean) and served with eba.

Water leaf

This appears to be the greatest of all and it’s a great secret to living healthy. It’s a perfect dietary way to maintain your cardiovascular system if you take it regularly. Another great thing about water leaf is that it keeps the heart healthy through the constant supply of oxygen and blood the heart needs.

Simple but mighty is what I call waterleaf. This fleshy vegetable helps to prevent heart disease or strokes by balancing the level of cholesterol in the blood.

To wrap this up, there’s a saying that healthcare is about self-care. To maintain a good health that breeds longevity, it can only be health-wise to incorporate these scientifically-proven heart-friendly foods into your diet.

Tosin Ayinde is the managing editor of meiza.ng

Meiza Nigeria